Recently, Vishal Malhotra collaborated with an artist to sell her artwork through crypto currency. New to the world of non-fungible token (NFT), the actor began reaching out to several artists from different nooks of the globe. “When people got to know that I was involved with NFT and was looking for artists, a lot of them reached out to me. But I was very sure that I wanted to collaborate with an Indian artist.”

The artworks will be inspired by Malhotra’s body of work. “I’ve shortlisted four with whom I’ll be collaborating in the future but the first person I decided to go ahead with was Ishita Banerjee. The artists I interacted with suggested that they would want to create art pieces wherein they could depict the characters I’ve played which resonated with them the most,” he elaborates.

He believes that over the next few months, crypto currency will become the dominant form of transaction. “It’s a fair community. There’s no regulation by any form of government or any other body; it’s an open ledger. Hence, there’s no possibility of being cheated,” says the actor.

Malhotra is certain that crypto currency is going to be “the way forward for showbiz” as well. “I’m very optimistic that within the next year, we’ll get to see a strong crypto market in India. Actors and filmmakers will be offered the choice between regular currency and crypto currency and many are likely to opt for the latter,” he ends.

Those growing up in the ’90s remember him as the host of Disney Club. Considering his roots lie with Disney, Vishal Malhotra lapped up the opportunity of reuniting with the channel for the second season of Imagine That. The joy of returning to home turf, coupled with the show’s Do-It-Yourself (DIY) theme, made him give his nod to the offering. “The show propagates the idea that children must utilise their time to learn something. [The channel] has immense nostalgic value. Those who were kids in the ’90s and early 2000s are now parents, and are only happy to introduce their kids to me via this [outing],” says the actor-host.

Though the show that started airing over the weekend is designed primarily for children, Malhotra believes it has a wide reach. “It’s a great way for me to spend time with my seven-year old daughter. At a time when she has no option of going out and spending time with her friends, it helps us bond again. There are activities that encourage a collaborative process between a child and an adult. [Before coming on board] I was clear that the offering cannot be about someone telling people how to create a DIY item; it has to be enjoyed holistically.”

Given that their larger-than-life installations take hours to set up, it hasn’t been easy for the unit to shoot during the pandemic. While they have suspended shoot till May 1 in adherence with the state government-imposed junta curfew, Malhotra recounts how the crew members would be perpetually on their toes during the filming. “There wasn’t a second that we pretended that Coronavirus isn’t real. We tested regularly, and were working through the fear to the best of our ability.”